Lexington, KY (10/29/09) – It is with deep sadness and concern that we announce the shooting death of Imam Luqman A. Abdullah, of Masjid Al-Haqq (Detroit, MI). Imam Luqman was a representative of the Detroit Muslim community to the “National Ummah” and the general assembly (Shura) of the Muslim Alliance in North America (MANA).

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced that their agents shot and killed the Imam during a raid related to a criminal complaint alleging that members of the mosque were engaged in criminal, but “not terrorist activity.” This tragic shooting raises deep concerns regarding the use of lethal force by law enforcement agents.

Charity Week is a grass-roots projects started in 2004 by a small team of London University students. Organized by the University of London Union Islamic Society (ULU ISoc) and in partnership with Islamic Relief, it remains one of the most successful and powerful projects ULU ISoc organizes to date. The initial aim was to raise awareness amongst the youth and communities about the tragic state of orphans around the world.

Countless Universities take part in Charity Week all over Britain, and over 5 years have raised a magnificent total of £931,000! 100% has been donated to Islamic Relief’s Orphans Campaign with ZERO admin fees. Therefore every penny is delivered directly to orphans and, amongst many things, is what makes Charity Week so special and loved across the nation!

People from the UK find very random and strange things funny, but then again they probably look at us as idiots. Good cause though, mashaAllah.

You know what I find really hilarious from this story is when they tried to join a group in Pakistan, they were rejected for not being Pakistani. Sounds like a lot of BS to me.

This is an amazing quote from his lawyer:

“If this is the FBI’s idea of a terrorist, they are using a net that is designed to catch minnows instead of sharks.” — J.W. Carney, Mehanna’s lawyer, after his 2008 arrest (Boston Globe, Nov. 12, 2008)

I agree 100%.

Let’s not forget innocent until proven guilty.

This should be warning to all Muslims. If some shady Muslim guy is telling you he has connections to go perform Jihad overseas, you know what to say. “Nah bro, I’m good.”

In the early-morning hours of Oct. 21, federal authorities arrested 27-year-old Massachusetts resident Tarek Mehanna on charges that he conspired to provide material support to terrorists and planned to carry out a “violent jihad” by killing U.S. politicians, attacking American troops in Iraq and targeting customers at U.S. shopping malls. U.S. attorneys claim that Mehanna worked with two other men on various plans designed to “kill, kidnap, maim or injure” U.S. citizens and soldiers from 2001 to 2008. He will be held in federal custody pending a detention hearing on Oct. 30. If he is found guilty, Mehanna faces up to 15 years in prison.

Fast Facts:
• A U.S. citizen, Mehanna is the fifth person living in the U.S. to be arrested on terrorism charges in the past five months.

• Was arrested at his parents’ house in Sudbury, Mass., an affluent Boston suburb.

• Graduated from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy in May 2008. His father is a professor of medicinal chemistry at the school.

• Had been planning to move to Saudi Arabia to become a pharmacist.

• Was questioned by the FBI on Dec. 16, 2006, about Daniel J. Maldonado, a Methuen, Mass., resident who was suspected of training at a terrorist camp of al-Qaeda’s and plotting to overthrow the Somali government. Maldonado later admitted to training with al-Qaeda and is now serving a 10-year prison sentence.

• Arrested in November 2008 for statements he made during the 2006 questioning. Mehanna had claimed that Maldonado was living in Egypt and working for a website, but FBI agents recorded a phone conversation between the two men in which Maldonado urged Mehanna to join him in “training for jihad” in Somalia. Was indicted for allegedly lying to authorities in January 2009.

• According to U.S. attorneys, Mehanna’s current plot had two co-conspirators — a man named Ahmad Abousamra and a third person, who is cooperating with authorities and has so far been unnamed. The three men met before the Sept. 11 attacks and attempted to join terrorist groups in Pakistan, Syria, Iraq and Yemen.

• A 2004 trip to Yeman proved fruitless when the men were unable to locate anyone affiliated with terrorist camps. They returned to the U.S. and allegedly plotted attacks on shopping malls. They abandoned their plans after failing to obtain automatic weapons.

• Used the code terms “peanut butter and jelly” when discussing fighting in Somalia and “culinary school” for terrorist camps.

• Appeared in federal court just hours after his arrest wearing a black sweatshirt and sweatpants. Witnesses say he refused to stand up at his bail hearing, kicking his chair over and making rude comments.

Quotes By:
“When the FBI asked me where Dan was … I told them I was still in Egypt … and he had called me the day before from Somalia.” — From an unsealed FBI affidavit (Boston Globe, Nov. 12, 2008)

“I don’t ever remember if he said the word Somalia on the phone, but that’s a problem because, like, lying to them in and of itself is a crime.” — Regarding his 2008 arrest (Boston Globe, Nov. 12, 2008)

“I can only think of the countless imprisoned Muslims in the jails of tyrants around the globe and hope that if it is not Allah’s Decree to free them in the near future, that they taste the sweetness that Allah has placed them in prison to taste.” — Letter allegedly written from prison and published on MuslimMatters.org after his 2008 arrest (Associated Press, Oct. 21, 2009)

Quotes About:
“If this is the FBI’s idea of a terrorist, they are using a net that is designed to catch minnows instead of sharks.” — J.W. Carney, Mehanna’s lawyer, after his 2008 arrest (Boston Globe, Nov. 12, 2008)

“The killing of civilians was considered O.K. because civilians are taxpayers and are non-believers.” — U.S. Attorney Michael Loucks, on Mehanna’s beliefs (Bloomberg, Oct. 21, 2009)

“No, definitely not.” — Ahmed Mehanna, father of the accused, when asked if he believed the charges filed against his son had any merit (Associated Press, Oct. 21, 2009)

David Rohde wrote a 5 part series on being held captive by the Taliban which is on the New York Times website. It’s an interesting read. I found this pretty funny:

My Taliban guards slept beneath bedspreads manufactured by a Pakistani textile company and emblazoned with characters from the American television show “Hannah Montana” and the movie “Spider-Man.” My blanket was a pink Barbie comforter.

I wonder if the FBI will investigate Disney now. I mean they have Fahad Hashmi on 23 hour lock down in an NYC maximum security prison for sleeping over at a person’s house who was trying to send socks and rain coats to the Taliban. So will they contact Disney for supplying the Taliban with Hannah Montana blankets.

I also found this pretty cool and interesting. Kind of shows a different side of some of the Taliban:

On other nights, at my guards’ urging, I switched to American tunes. In a halting, off-key voice, I sang Frank Sinatra’s version of “New York, New York” and described it as the story of a villager who tries to succeed in the city and support his family. I sang Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run” and described it as a portrayal of the struggles of average Americans.

I realized that my guards, too, might have needed a break from our grim existence. But I felt like a performing monkey when they told me to sing for visiting commanders. I knew they were simply laughing at me.

I intentionally avoided American love songs, trying to dispel their belief that all Americans were hedonists. Despite my efforts, romantic songs — whatever their language — were the guards’ favorites.

The Beatles song “She Loves You,” which popped into my head soon after I received my wife’s letter from the Red Cross, was the most popular.

For reasons that baffled me, the guards relished singing it with me. I began by singing its first verse. My three Taliban guards, along with Tahir and Asad, then joined me in the chorus.

“She loves you — yeah, yeah, yeah,” we sang, with Kalashnikovs lying on the floor around us.

I actually think this is good, because it humanizes them in a way that Americans never see them. Most Americans think they are monsters savaging for blood killing anyone who doesn’t agree with them. This shows them enjoying themselves and having fun.

Just to clarify, technically it was all halal, since there was no musical instruments involved. Just a Capella (voice only). For those who are interested in the song they sung together, here is the YouTube link.